1. Field of the Invention
The present invention, in general relates to children""s mobiles and, more particularly, to mobiles that rotate and display an object while an accompanying audio program plays music or sings a lullaby.
Children""s mobiles are well known types of devices that are typically attached to an infant crib or, alternately, to a playpen. They typically play music while a plurality of objects that are suspended from the mobile rotate in a circle.
Their utility in helping to calm and amuse infants, children, and babies is well known. They often relax the infant and therefore assist in the process of allowing the infant to drift asleep.
Such types of mobiles are used by very young children, infants, and babies who are generally disposed, and therefore confined, in either a crib or a playpen. The use of any of the words children, infant, or baby in this specification is intended to include and encompass all whom might so benefit.
Up until now, mobiles have been used for entertainment and amusement. Their potential as a teaching device has not been fully recognized nor therefore fully utilized. Consider how much time an infant spends in proximity to a mobile. If the mobile had a teaching component as well as entertainment value, the infant could gaze and be amused and, when the infant was more alert and inquisitive, could benefit from the teaching aspect.
Since the mobile is commonly used with infants that have not yet even learned to talk, the music or speech patterns that the infant hears will have little value other than that derived from a soothing melody and the calming effects mentioned hereinabove.
However, if the mobile was consistent in displaying a first object to a child while including some sort of commentary, either in speech or in music, about the first object and then displaying a second object to a child and then commenting about the second object, the child would be provided with a substantial early learning opportunity. As soon as the cognitive faculty of the child to associate the speech (or music) commentary with the object was developed, the child would then be well positioned to make the connection.
Consequently, the child could learn language skills at perhaps the earliest age possible. Another benefit is that since this presentation would also preferably be calming and amusing there is no pressure placed upon the infant to learn anything. Learning (i.e., association) is entirely optional and is accomplished in accordance with the infant""s time table. It is not as if an anxious parent were holding flash cards to the new born infant trying to give their child a xe2x80x9chigh-pressurexe2x80x9d academic head-start.
The infant would be exposed to a learning environment that is also calming and entertaining. Whichever benefit the child wanted, or was psychologically ready to receive, is precisely the benefit the child would receive at that moment. The parent would not even have to be present in order for the child to make the transition from entertainment to learning. Whatever benefit is derived is determined solely by the state of the infant at the moment.
Furthermore, if the environment was diverse, if it contained a potentially unlimited landscape of displayed objects along with a diverse and matching commentary, then both the amusement and learning opportunities would be virtually unlimited.
Some infants could learn the names of familiar barn yard animals and then progress to other objects and eventually, possibly, even learn rudimentary speech and syntax, and maybe even the alphabet.
In order for such a mobile to be effective in both the entertainment and learning arenas, it must be synchronized. In other words, it must present to the field of view of the infant a first object while commenting about that object. When the first object passes away from the field of view of the infant and a second object begins to enter the field of view, the commentary must appertain then to the second object.
For this to occur, there must be synchronization between the orientation of the objects of the mobile and the audio program. Once this is attained the opportunity to expand the mobile becomes apparent to those possessing ordinary skill in the art.
Accordingly, there exists today a need for a synchronized teaching mobile that includes an audio program that is synchronized with a display program.
Clearly, such an apparatus would be a useful and desirable device.
2. Description of Prior Art
Mobiles and musical types of mobiles are, in general, known. For example, the following patents describe various types of these devices:
U.S. Pat. No. 6,113,455 to Whelan et al., Sep. 5, 2000;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,761 to Tillman, Sr., Oct. 26, 1999;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,951,360 to Fearon et al., Sep. 14, 1999;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,861 to Wood, Sep. 29, 1998;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,786 to McCormick, Sep. 8, 1998;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,478,268 to Au, Dec. 26, 1995;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,640,034 to Zisholtz, Feb. 3, 1987;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,363,181 to Hyman et al., Dec. 14, 1982;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,207,696 to Hyman et al., Jun. 17, 1980; and
U.S. Pat. No. 3,927,482 to Marcus, Dec. 23, 1975.
While the structural arrangements of the above described devices, at first appearance, have similarities with the present invention, they differ in material respects. These differences, which will be described in more detail hereinafter, are essential for the effective use of the invention and which admit of the advantages that are not available with the prior devices.
In particular U.S. Pat. No. 5,951,360 to Fearon et al., states in column 3, lines 5-7, that it, xe2x80x9crotates the mobile fixtures in response to the music characteristics, thus increasing the entertainment value to the infantxe2x80x9d. In column 7, lines 20-36 state, in effect, that the motor speeds up, slows down, stops, or reverses direction in response to the musical signal that is being played for entertainment purposes. There is no teaching or suggestion to synchronize the presentation of a display object (i.e., one of the fixtures of the mobile) with an audio output.
However, there are a number of elements such as the use of compact disc, cassette, mounting to cribs and playpens, and the ability to turn itself on or off in response to ambient sounds. These and other changes or modifications may hereinafter be included as part of the instant invention and therefore U.S. Pat. No. 5,951,360 to Fearon et al, is included by reference herein as a part of this specification.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a synchronized teaching mobile that is adapted to entertain an infant.
It is also an important object of the invention to provide a synchronized teaching mobile that is adapted to instruct an infant.
Another object of the invention is to provide a synchronized teaching mobile that is adapted to teach an infant.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a synchronized teaching mobile that is adapted to provide a learning opportunity for an infant.
Still yet another object of the invention is to provide a synchronized teaching mobile that is adapted to present a display object to an infant while simultaneously providing an audible reference to the display object.
Yet another important object of the invention is to provide a synchronized teaching mobile that is adapted to present a first display object proximate to an infant while simultaneously providing an audible reference to the first display object and to then withdraw the first display object from a position that is proximate the infant.
Still yet another important object of the invention is to provide a synchronized teaching mobile that is adapted to present a first display object proximate to an infant while simultaneously providing an audible reference to the first display object and to then withdraw the first display object from a position that is proximate the infant and to then present a second display object proximate to an infant while simultaneously providing an audible reference to the second display object.
Still one further object of the invention is to provide a synchronized teaching mobile that is adapted to present a display object to an infant while simultaneously providing an audible reference to the display object and wherein the audible reference includes either music or singing or both.
Briefly, a synchronized teaching mobile that is constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention has a housing that is adapted for mounting proximate a crib or playpen. The housing includes a motor that rotates a plurality of display objects that are suspended from the housing. Sensing means are provided to correlate position of the display objects with an audio program presentation so that the audio program includes reference to a first display only when the first display object is proximate to an infant that is disposed in the crib or playpen.